Breeding Alexandrine Mutations, A Dream Come True.

As a young boy, my husband George Van der Togt visited the zoo Artis, in Amsterdam, with his parents. Initially this pastime seemed innocent enough but proved to have a huge impact on his life in the years to follow. It wasn’t the monkey cage that held his fascination as would be normally expected of a young boy but the sight of a pair of the exotic Alexandrines Parrots. These beautiful and elegant large parrots with their streamlined slender bodies, huge beaks and their quality green plumage, which is enhanced by the black and pink neck ring of the mature male, captivated him.

Lutino Alexandrine Female.

If there is such a thing as love at first sight, then this was it for George. History books have documented that it was Alexander “The Great” who bought the Alexandrine Parrot into Europe. “If the parrot was good enough for King Alexander the Great, then it is certainly good enough for me”, he thought. The seed was planted and from then on George would daydream of one day being able to have a pair of these majestic birds of his own. As a boy it was very unlikely that he would be able to buy or keep such birds as he lived in a busy city in a ten storey high-rise flat in which no animals were allowed. City life was not for George, so when he matured and the opportunity arose to migrate to Australia, he seized it with both hands.

Pure Alexandrine Male.

With the confidence of a fearless adventurer he studied the map of Australia deciding where in this vast land he would make his new home. He had no ties or family so the whole of Australia lay at his feet. As he had grown up in a cold, windy and snowing environment it didn’t take long for him to decide that the Sunshine state of QLD with its warmer climate would be his destination. With another passion for diving, George decided that we would move to the Whitsundays where he could also enjoy observing the coral and reef fish. We eventually purchased a 5 acre property in the area and settled down. Now George had the opportunity to realize his childhood dream to breed Alexandrines of his own. When the budget allowed it, he purchased his first roll of bird wire, a pair of Alexandrines and a pair of Indian ring necks. “Parrotitus” (a disease to breed more parrots) as I call it, had struck George and he kept dreaming of what he wanted to achieve in the near future. This was the start of his collection which after 20 years had increased to more than 250 birds.

Blue Alexandrine Male.

Following the advice of Sid and Jack Smith to specialize in a particular species rather than having one of everything and having a love of the Asiatic species George has stuck with the Alexandrines in which he has established his own line of colour mutations like Lutino, Blue, Cinnamon, and Grey-Green.